Latinos in the 2010 Elections: Nevada

Fact Sheet

This statistical profile provides key demographic information of Latino eligible voters in Nevada.1 It also contains data on other major groups of eligible voters in Nevada.2 All data are based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey.3

Hispanics in Nevada’s Eligible Voter Population

The Hispanic population in Nevada is the 12th-largest in the nation. Some 672,000 Hispanics reside in Nevada.

The population in Nevada is 26% Hispanic, the fifth-highest Hispanic population share nationally.

There are 224,000 eligible Hispanic voters in Nevada—the 12th-largest Hispanic eligible-voter population nationally. California ranks first with 5.4 million.

One-in-seven (14%) of eligible voters in Nevada are Latinos, the sixth-largest Hispanic eligible voter population share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 38%.

One-third (33%) of Latinos in Nevada are eligible to vote, ranking Nevada 38th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. In contrast, 78% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

Age. Nearly one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Nevada (31%) are ages 18 to 29, equal to the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (31%) in that age range. By contrast, only 21% of all Nevada eligible voters and 22% of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.

Citizenship. Three-in-ten of Hispanic eligible voters in Nevada (30%) are naturalized U.S. citizens, compared with 11% of all Nevada eligible voters. Hispanic eligible voters in Nevada are less likely to be native-born citizens (70%) than are Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (74%).

Educational Attainment. Three-in-ten of Latino eligible voters in Nevada (29%) have not completed high school. That was greater than the rate for all Latino eligible voters—26%—and the rate for U.S. eligible voters nationwide—13%.

Homeownership. Six-in-ten of Hispanic eligible voters in Nevada (58%) live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 60% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Greater shares of all eligible voters in Nevada (64%) and all eligible voters nationwide (70%) live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Nevada, by Race and Ethnicity

Number of Latino Eligible Voters. White eligible voters outnumber Latino eligible voters in Nevada by more than 5 to 1—1.1 million whites to 224,000 Latinos.

Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white eligible voters in Nevada. Some 29% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained at least a high school diploma compared with 10% of white eligible voters.

Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters in Nevada are less likely than white eligible voters to live in owner-occupied homes—58% versus 67%.

Eligible voters are defined as U.S. citizens ages 18 and older. Eligible voters are not the same as registered voters. To cast a vote, in all states except North Dakota, an eligible voter must first register to vote. ↩

The terms “Hispanic” and “Latino” are used interchangeably. References to “whites,” “blacks,” and “Asians” are to the non-Hispanic components of those populations. ↩

This statistical profile of eligible voters in Maryland is based on the Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. The data used for this statistical profile come from 2008 ACS Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS), representing a 1% sample of the U.S. population. Like any survey, estimates from the ACS are subject to sampling error and (potentially) measurement error. Information on the ACS sampling strategy and associated error is available at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/accuracy2008.pdf. An example of measurement error is that citizenship rates for the foreign born are estimated to be overstated in the Decennial Census and other official surveys, such as the ACS (see Jeffrey Passel. “Growing Share of Immigrants Choosing Naturalization,” Pew Hispanic Center, Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2008)). ↩

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.